


taste the victory in the back of your throat

by emochill



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: An overabundance of italics, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Third Year Hinata Shouyou and Kageyama Tobio, Third Year Yamaguchi Tadashi, its very poetry like, the first years are third years ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23953075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emochill/pseuds/emochill
Summary: He leaned in close, lips nearly brushing Tobio’s ear, tone angry and gleeful andalready victorious.“I am no King.”
Relationships: Haiba Lev & Hinata Shouyou, Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou & Tsukishima Kei, Hinata Shouyou & Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 18
Kudos: 78





	taste the victory in the back of your throat

**Author's Note:**

> hi welcome i was reading this one fic called fever pitch (highly recommend you read it, its great) and this was heavily inspired by it.

Shouyou slammed his fist against the locker room, startling the first years in the locker room. He was 

_ starving.  _

But not for food. 

He tasted victory in the back of his throat and 

_ he wanted more than just a taste. _

_ he wanted it all.  _

* * *

__

A hand landed on his head and he wretched his head to face the offending hand, snarling and lashing out, blinking when both his hands were held. 

Tobio. His setter. Hinata stared at him, calmer now but still

_ hungry.  _

Tobio looked unnerved but he tried to hide it under the guise of annoyance. Shouyou grinned at the sight of it. “Stupid, you’re scaring the first years and Hitoka-chan. Captain already told you to calm down like three times.” 

Shouyou turned to look at where Tadashi was standing with Kei, Hitoka standing next to the tall, blond middle blocker. He took a deep breath, turned and bowed to his captain, “Go on ahead captain, take the team with you, I’ll be out in a bit.” 

Tadashi stared at him, tall and proud and assessing him, so different from the scaredy-cat first year he’d been so long ago. He nodded his agreement, “Tobio, stay with him for a bit, but come out soon, we’ll be starting our warmups”, he went to open the door and paused, “Oh, and ace?” 

Shouyou looked up from where he had dropped onto the bench and put his head in his hands, Tadashi gave him a cruel grin, looking every bit the Crow’s Captain he was, “We’re counting on you.” 

Shouyou looked at him. And began to grin back, it seemed his captain was 

starting to get 

_ hungry _

too. 

* * *

“Shouyou, calm down.” 

A whisper, begging and quiet. The king bowing and begging before the predator.

“A king never loses his composure, Shouyou, he’d be dethroned otherwise.” Tobio looked at him with dark dark blue eyes, a warning and reprimand and  _ plea _ rolled in one look. 

Shouyou grinned at that. Bloodthirsty and already victorious. 

He leaned in close, lips nearly brushing Tobio’s ear, tone angry and gleeful and 

_ already victorious _ . 

“ **_I am no King._ ** ” 

And in the back of his mind, Tobio understood. Shouyou wasn’t a king, no, 

Shouyou was a 

_ monster.  _

And then, 

the king kneeled before the monster. 

* * *

Tadashi looked up from where he was talking to Coach Ukai about plays and placements when their side of the stands rose from a low rumble to loud screeching, reminiscent of their mascot. 

Ukai grinned ferally. “It seems the ace has calmed down just enough then, eh?” Tadashi nodded absentmindedly, because, 

_ oh what a picture his ace painted _ . 

Hinata Shouyou was the star of the team and he bore it well, not like a crown, like the king of a setter they had, but like a predator wears the blood of their prey on their fur. Shouyou looked him in the eye, and they grinned savagely at each other. 

In the back of his throat, Tadashi tasted victory,

_ and he wanted more than just a mere taste.  _

_ he wanted the whole fucking banquet.  _

Tadashi laughed. 

* * *

Shouyou hit spike after spike during the warmups, silent and still  _ hungry _ . 

The crowd quieted, and Shouyou  _ felt him.  _ He looked up, and saw him. 

_ “Lev.”  _ He could’ve whispered it, and the other would've surely still heard it. The dull growling in the back of his head rose to a roar, in sync with the crowd. Excited for an iconic Battle at the Trash Heap. 

Only the strong can stand on the court. They both understood that. The question was, 

who was more  _ hungry _

for  _ victory _ ?

Shouyou grinned at Lev. Lev grinned back.

They were **_starving_**

* * *

Ukai Keishin knew his team was full of monsters. He knows this. Yet he always somehow forgets that in the face of everyday occurrences. Like when Shouyou-kun deflates at the idea of studying and how he and Tobio-kun always fight about the smallest of things. He forgets that the first years aren't first year anymore, forgets that Tadashi-kun doesn’t cower behind Kei-kun anymore or how Kei-kun always seems to be up for blocking Shouyou-kun’s spike when he can. 

He’s reminded that the first year boys he met so long ago have grown and matured. He’s reminded of this fact when Tadashi looks up and  _ grins  _ at Shouyou when the latter walks out of the locker room with Tobio behind him. Reminded of this when Shouyou grins back and looks  _ hungry _ . 

Reminded of this when during the game, Kei blocks another spike from Nekoma and seem to revel in the way the spiker’s eyes widen ever so slightly, reminded when Tobio dumps the ball over and looks down at the other players and Keishin can make out a crown on the setter’s head and a cape over his shoulders. 

Yes, Ukai Keishin sometimes forgets he’s coaching a team of monsters. But he always remembers, and he always laughs. 

He hears the crows screech in the back of his mind and he tastes  _ victory  _ in the back of his throat. 

* * *

Captain greeted the other one to start off the game. They got into position and he shared a sharp grin with Kei. Tobio started off, with a powerful serve. It was received and Shouyou wasn’t ashamed to note that he would’ve been disappointed if it hadn’t been. This team was amazing at defense after all. 

Point after point they battled, not willing to give up even an inch. The crowd was waiting with bated breath for what they wanted to see. He looked at Tobio, itching and starving, but Tobio didn’t look at him. He snarled inwardly. 

He’s fucking  _ hungry. _

Tobio set for Captain and it was a frankly nice spike. But it only set off his want for his own spike. 

* * *

Shouyou met his eyes across the net and Lev bared his teeth, he ran up, and spiked the ball. It landed on Shouyou’s side. 

It landed on Shouyou’s side of the court. 

_ Unacceptable.  _

Everyone stilled. Nekoma’s side exploded in cheers, Shouyou heard a roar in the back of his mind. Shouyou saw Tobio pale.  _ Good,  _ he thought,  _ let him fear, give me my spike.  _

Nekoma served. They received. Shouyou ran. 

He stared at Tobio,  _ give me my fucking spike. Give your ace his spike.  _

The king bowed before the monster. 

Tobio feigned a toss to Captain, and Captain made a beautiful fake, Shouyou grinned. Jumped up behind Captain and saw the blockers’ eyes widen as they realised their mistake. They had forgotten the ace hadn’t jumped at all so far, 

and he was 

_ starving. _

He pointed to Lev as he landed. 

“ **_Don’t you dare forget I’m here._ ** ” 

Lev snarled at him. Shouyou bared his teeth right back. 

Two predators circled each other, starving and agitated. 

* * *

Victory goes to the strongest, the hungriest, the most ruthless. Lev and Shouyou know this like they know the best position to spike, like they know the back of their hand. 

Lev and Shouyou know this like they know they’re playing their last game in high school, like they know this is the last game for their era. They’re playing with the desperation of a beast dying but still  _ fighting  _ to be the _the last one standing_ . 

Up in the stands, they know with certainty, their senpai’s are watching with bated breath to see the victor of this match. They know they inherited the hunger of their team and the bloodlust of the older players. They know they hold the hopes and dreams of their current team on their shoulders and they 

_ will not accept failure or defeat.  _

**_They’ve been starving for a very long time._ **

Here in the very last match of Nationals, they’ve clawed their way to the top with a ferocity.  _ Hungry  _ and  _ desperate _ for this very match. The ultimate match for years to come. 

All eyes on them. Like it should be. The two giants of high school volleyball coming to a head. 

* * *

Shouyou was getting agitated. They were on their fifth set, two to each team. He felt eyes on his back and when he turned he looked right at Lev. everything quieted down, it was only him and Lev. At this point, it was

ace versus ace. 

They entered the fifth set. It was brutal. Neither side let up and point after point was made. They entered deuce at 14:14. 

They would not give up.

Not now. 

* * *

Who was the strongest? Who hungered more? Who was more ruthless? 

In the end, the crows had won. The crows who had their wings clipped for years, who for years, couldn’t get off the ground. The crows were starved, and starvation made them unpredictable and willing to pull anything to secure one more game, one more win,

**_one more time_ ** **.**

The crows aren’t starving anymore, but they’re still hungry.

_ “Never forget how low we fell, remember that frustration, and use it to fuel all the future games and keep winning and keep flying.”  _ Shouyou whispered this to his successor, pulled him aside and told him of how they had fallen and how their wings had been clipped when he had been but a first year.  _ “Always, always, stay hungry for victory. Remember how it tastes in your mouth and savor it. Keep it in the back of your throat and let it taunt you so you’re always hungry for more. We are crows, and we will always be hungry for more. The cats will always want to leap and eat you up but you have wings for a reason. Use them to fly high and keep victory from them.” _

Shouyou smiled ferally at his successor, eyes shining and victorious, high on the adrenaline and the medal around his neck. 

When his successor began to smile back, 

Shouyou laughed, 

**_and tasted victory in his mouth._ **

* * *

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i spent about a week working on it please let me know if you like it :3c


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